Tony Hawk Wants to Bring a Dead Genre to HD Life

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The Birdman himself weighs in on the HD upgrade.

By Mitch Dyer

A few years back, Activision denied Tony Hawk's pitch to re-release the first four Pro Skater games in an HD package. "They knew better than I did that they didn't have time to develop it in short of a year, that it wasn't the right time," Hawk told IGN. Holding off worked out for the better, he explained. It opened up new opportunities. "Now we can do it as digital content and make it that much less expensive," he said. "We're releasing this game for $15, which is totally unheard of for a big franchise game."

More importantly, he sees Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD as more than a sloppy cash-in on nostalgia. "The dream for me is to release this as the base line for other best-of levels," said Hawk, "but mostly so we can set a foundation and release new stuff."

Hawk knows all to well that "the skate genre is almost nonexistent" these days. What better time to bring it back, and in what better form than the one that started it all?

Dam, Girl.

Hawk envisions Robomodo's extensive remake of the first two Pro Skater games as a seed, a stepping stone, and a platform. "I want to release all new levels and not just live in the past like this...new skaters, new tricks, things like that, and release them as digital content so they're affordable," said Hawk.

As it stands, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD brings a bit of new along with its old. Seven classic courses return alongside five unannounced multiplayer modes. Robomodo told IGN to expect the staples (come on, HORSE) in addition to some original additions. School II, Mall, Hanger, Warehouse, and Marseille are among Pro Skater HD's included levels, but the inclusion of Downhill Jam is one close to Hawk's heart.

"When we were deciding levels I kept bringing it up," he explained. "Nobody was really embracing it or acknowledging it. So I went as far as to say I think it's the favorite of a lot of people and we did our own sort of quick survey, I did it through Twitter. Downhill Jam came in at, like, third-to-last." He never gave up on Downhill Jam, and after fighting the good fight Hawk finally got through to the developer.

"It was one of the first levels that had a start and finish to it. I know there were other ones but that was the most obvious," said Hawk. "I like the challenge of trying to get all the points as you're coming down the whole course. And I like the big factor in that level. I like that the rail's way up high, you had to traverse over the skyline to get around if you really want big points."

Downhill Jam embodies the essence of classic Tony Hawk better than any other level, arguably. Few stages remind players how easy it was to fail, and how deeply fulfilling it feels to succeed.

This dude probably just landed after some sweet jump.

Like Hawk stated, it's a vertical map with little room to flex. Even as players roll down what's functionally one massive ramp carved into a dam, there's always the opportunity to skate up. It's one of few Tony Hawk's Pro Skater stages that forces players' hands.

You can't skate passively around the area and stumble into goals as in most street stages. This is all vert, all the time, and it requires careful deliberation to get anywhere. It's a challenging stage with level design that's still surprising and interesting. Paths diverge, objects hide high above the main path, and the ramps send skaters skewed off course. Even with vivid memories burned into your brain, Downhill Jam may still surprise you. It's no wonder Hawk fought for it.

It's elements like this that make Pro Skater HD stand out. This isn't just a straight port of old levels -- it's a fully remade game using the original code as a jumping-off point. But Neversoft's original designs still hold up, and Robomodo's tweaks to the classics' formula -- such as faster skating, additional goals, more responsive controls, and improved physics -- better equip players to explore them. Just like old times, only better.

This is just extremely unsafe, Tony.

"When our game was hitting really hard [around 1999] there were roughly 10-15 top games that were go-tos. Now there are only three or four that are the standard. If you're not a first-person shooter at this point you're kind of struggling," Hawk said. "If you're not Call of Duty, you're not Halo, it's super tricky out there."

Pro Skater HD aims to stimulate the part of your brain that keeps you hooked on high scores, replaying levels in two-minute chunks, and besting your friends' ranks. It worked 13 years ago. Who's to say Tony Hawk can't bottle lightning yet again?

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD is the start of what Hawk hopes to be another trend in skateboarding games. Of course it's meant to remind long-time fans that this series still rules, despite recent entries unsuccessful new ideas, and that there's enough life left in it to facilitate a future. If Pro Skater HD takes off, Hawk may yet realize his dream of infusing the old formula with original stages.

More importantly, this could be what brings the genre back from its recently discovered grave. "[In a few years] I would love to still be here and take advantage of new consoles as they come," Hawk said, "including Wii-U and whatever else they have in the pipe."

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He's loved the Pro Skater franchise since he was 11. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.